The glorious pursuit of naptime.

One of the most indulgent and most enjoyable things of being on vacation is the ability to take naps. Being able to curl up and shut off in the middle of the day is a luxury that most modern societies just don't afford.

Napping is simple right? Just go lie down and close your eyes. While this is true, I do think that there are ideal conditions for napping and although these may vary from person to person, I'm going to list my fave conditions for you:

1. The nap just happens naturally. There is no planning involved. Ideally, you're lounging around, reading a book and your eyelids just get ever so heavy and then....
2. You're already in a comfortable, horizontal position. You don't have to move from an upright chair to something else. This is from the idea of a natural progression to napping.
3. The temperature is just so perfect to induce sleep, not too hot or too cold. Either of the two extremes and you have fitful sleep. In hot climates, air conditioned rooms are always a preferable option to escape the midday heat. That said, I do enjoy falling asleep in a cool room with a great breeze blowing through open windows.

Needless to say, I have been doing a lot of napping in the last couple of weeks. Sometimes I think I should find something to do in the afternoon to prevent the inevitable and then I come to my senses. Napping, or the siesta is a time honoured hispanic tradition that I have inherited from my ancestors so really, who am I to disregard history?